Money And Integrity
How we go about earning our money is more important than how much we earn. Earn it in such a way that you can sleep at night.
Proverbs 13:11 - Wealth gained by dishonesty will be diminished, But he who gathers by labor will increase.
Deuteronomy 25:13-16 - You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the LORD your God.
Honesty and integrity are co-related terms. Honesty means the act of being honest to others and giving the actual and real facts. It means to speak the truth and not to hide anything.
The act of honesty is always rewarded. People trust and respect a person who is honest to other people.
Integrity on the other hand means abiding and supporting your morals and ethics. It means to be free of any malpractices.
Honesty and integrity are held as very important values throughout the Bible, and any deception to gain an advantage or harm another is prohibited. Integrity is a Biblical standard and means compliance with God’s standards of character, conduct, and righteousness.
People with no morals in life lack integrity. People only respect those who have a sound belief. Dishonesty is characteristic of those who are not concerned about consequences.
A spiritual leader’s integrity will always come under scrutiny such as dedication to God, application of Godly principles, work and ministry accomplishments, marriage and family life, and the handling of finances.
The Word of God exhorts believers to lead a life of integrity. They are to have a moral soundness in every area of their lives. They are not perfect but they should continually seek to live a life that is above reproach.
Integrity is a matter of the heart. God will not use or bless a person who lacks integrity. A Christian’s determination and integrity insists that they maintain consistency even in the face of suffering. They will continue to pursue the right goals and live for God even if no one else follows. They are not afraid of rejection by others because they are concerned with doing what is right.
When we commit sins of deceit and hypocrisy, it can affect an entire generation.
The way we live our lives really matters to God, to our family, and to the church. Let us make a renewed effort to live honestly and with integrity in all we do and say.
Shortcuts to gaining wealth are traps that lead to poverty.
Understand that we need God’s help to live lives of honesty and integrity. We should live honestly and with integrity in our homes, the way we conduct business, our finances, the way we treat people, and in every way possible.
We must strongly resist the temptation to engage in any form of theft, cheating, lies, or deception.
Without basic honesty one’s life will simply not flow smoothly in an integrated and coordinated fashion.
A person of integrity seeks the truth in all things, and attempts to apply it all the time as well. By learning to be a person of integrity, your life will become more worthwhile, even if living this way might cause some hardship.
The Bible describes Satan, as real, active, subtle, and an evil power who will go to extreme measures to destroy your reputation.
Sometimes you hear of a person paying money to someone else for a favor. This is what is known as bribery. God does not want this to happen.
God makes it very clear in various parts of the Bible that telling lies is a sin and dishonest actions are criticized by God.
How we go about earning our money is more important than how much we earn. Earn it in such a way that you can sleep at night. We should earn our living honestly.
Shortcuts to gaining wealth are really only traps that lead to poverty. We are never to take advantage of someone else. When we give our employer an honest day's work, we earn more than the day's wages.
God expects us to work for our employers or customers as though we were working for Him.
What you give and what you gain are direct issues with regard to your integrity of heart.
GREED
Proverbs 1:19 - So are the ways of everyone who is greedy for gain; It takes away the life of its owners.
Greed is a serious sin with serious consequences. It is not, as we might suppose, a private, internal sin whose effects are confined to our hearts.
One man's greed can harm himself, his family, and even thousands of others.
We hear about the devastating consequences of greed almost every day.
It has destroyed personal relationships and has led to theft, prostitution, sexual immorality, enslavement, and even murder.
We have seen in the past years how the financial well-being of entire nations has been destroyed because of greed, especially in the banking sector and housing market.
But greed is not just a problem found in the market place or in governments. Greed is found wherever there are people with sinful hearts.
Greedy people become enslaved to their sinful desires. The Bible teaches that greed and idolatry is the same thing. Greed steals our worship from God who expects us to love and worship Him alone.
Thousands of years ago, as Joshua led the Israelites in their conquest of the Promised Land, one man's greed placed the entire venture in jeopardy.
Greed led Judas Iscariot to betray Jesus for a few pieces of silver and led Ananias and Sapphira to lie about their supposedly generous gift to the church.
The consequences of greed are great, but the reward of faithfulness to God is eternal life. Rather than falling into the trap of idolatrous greed, we are called to run after God.
THE SEDUCTIVE POWER OF MONEY
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you.
The world views true treasure in terms of bank accounts, houses, stocks, cars, boats, businesses, etc. In the world’s eyes, the accumulation of these treasures is significant.
The importance of people is measured by how much of this treasure they own and control. This is what happens when possessions become the possessor. We should adopt a mind-set which keeps the possessions from possessing us.
God has called us to something higher. We are to flee from the love of money and to pursue righteousness.
All of us know that the subject of money is a very personal and touchy subject today, because money and materialism are so interwoven into the fabric of our lives.
Although money should not be everything to us, it does take a vital place in all of our lives. The Bible affirms this fact and it goes on to show that money is, in fact, an issue of the heart and not of the pocketbook.
One out of every ten verses in the Gospels deals with the issue of money. Jesus said more about money than any other single thing because money is of first importance when it comes to a person’s true character.
Throughout the Bible, there is a direct correlation between the development of a person’s character and how that person handles money.
Luke 18:18-23 - Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ ” And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.” But when he heard this, he became very sorrowful, for he was very rich.
Jesus called a lot of people to follow Him. Many of them were successful business people who must have been rich. Many of His disciples were fishermen who owned boats. But He never asked them to sell all their possessions in order to follow Him. It is clear that He did not have a problem with people who were rich.
However, in the case of this ruler, Jesus did something different and wanted this young man to sell all his possessions before he could enter into ministry with Jesus. It is obvious that this man loved God and was eager to serve Him. But when he was told to sell all his possessions and to give it away, he chose his riches over serving God. He loved God, but he loved money more than God. He did not have money - money had him.
Some people think that money is the root of all evil. But the Bible does not say that. The Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil. Wealth is a blessing from God and it is a good thing. You can do nothing without money. The Bible promises that riches and honor follow those who follow God. God does not have a problem with us having lots of money. He only has a problem when we love money.
The more we seek the things of the Spirit, the less material things mean to us. We still use them and enjoy them, but we recognize who has given them to us.
Money is what makes this world operate. A person will have an extremely hard time finding food, shelter, clothing, entertainment, and many other things, without having money. An individual without money knows very well how hard it can be to do even the simplest tasks without having money.
In this world, money rules and it is what makes the world work. In fact, money is actually loved by most people in this world and is widely viewed as the most important thing an individual could possibly have. However, for God's people, money should not be viewed as the most important thing to have and it should definitely not be loved.
Money in the Bible is a very important subject and God has clearly explained to us over and over again how we need to view money in order to be His people. True people of God will obey only Him and will serve only Him. Corrupt people will ignore what He has told us about money and will actually serve and love their money.
The Bible is filled with Scriptures showing us how we need to view money and how to act in regards to it.
Love of money has always caused countless arguments, fights, and murders around the world since the beginning of time. This love of money causes hunger, homelessness, and death throughout our world every day. It causes people to deceive, steal, and rob from one another.
The entertainment industry produces materials that promote violence, bloodshed, sex, and drugs for one reason only and that is to make more money.
We should clearly know and understand how God feels about serving and loving money.
He does not want us to love money, because He wants us to love Him more than any earthly thing. All our love and devotion must be reserved for Him. That will open the floodgates of heaven over our lives.
WHERE YOUR HEART IS
Luke 12:34 - For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
Treasure is about more than material wealth or possessions. It is about what we value and desire. Having treasures or treasuring something is not wrong but it is learning to treasure the right things. When we place our desires in things that are fleeting, our hearts and lives become fleeting as well.
Jesus teaches us to stop focusing on attaining and protecting those things that are empty. He invites people to shift their desires
Giving will release the hold we have over our money
and possessions.
Unreserved commitment to the things of God results in unrestrained blessing. When you hold nothing back from God He holds nothing back from you.
God does not want earthly things to rule us or to consume us.
The danger for us who live in a materialistic society is that we will value material things more than spiritual things.
Giving will release the hold we have over our money and possessions and will begin to free us from the slavery of greed and materialism.
